Chapter 6

Logan’s POV

I settled into the beach chair, adjusting my dark sunglasses as I let the simulated summer sun warm my face. The upscale rest center was an oasis in the midst of winter, with its artificial sunlight and serene seaside atmosphere. Despite the chill outside, the air here was warm, the kind of warmth that made you forget it wasn’t real.

Prominent personalities, rich people, and influencers have gathered to the pool of the hostess of the party. Chatters of travels, business breakthroughs, and petty flirting are the main topics of each discussion as if they have not been talked about when they encountered each other the previous days.

The place mainly was dominated by the scent of cocktail drinks and the chatter of too many people. It is still only nine in the morning. I was only behind them when I overheard their chatter.

“Those people are our friends, right?” Leo, one of my friends asked as he adjusted his shades as he took a double check on the guests, examining the crowd and checking out the behind of the women around. He licked his upper lip as if he tasted something juicy. “Well, aren’t they something?”

Andrew came and gave Leo a drink and looked in the direction of where he was looking, but unlike his friend, he was not as interested as him. “Yes, Leo. They are our friends, as far as I know.”

Both of them took a sip of their drinks, until deciding to stop the overseeing of the crowd and sat down.

“Though I admit,” Andrew started to comment with shrugged shoulders and tilting his head to the side. “Some of our friends are starting to become lower than us.”

“Who’s lower than us?” my voice came from behind them. The two of them greeted me and I got invited to sit with them. I was offered a drink, but I refused. It is too early for this, anyway.

“No. I have to go to the office later.”

“Now look at you, being a responsible boss,” Leo said to me with a smirk, putting the glass down, now its contents empty. “How’s work?”

“Fine,” I answered briefly, not entertaining any more questions. Leo was about to press me on some more questions when Cassie showed up wearing her red bikini, only wrapped with a see-through robe.

“Hey there, guys,” Cassie greeted them and gave them each their secret handshake.

Leo bit his lip as he looked at the body of our friend, with lust written all over his face. “Look at you, being hotter than most of my bitches from downtown. I mean, you’re my friend, but I would hit that.”

“Hey, watch it,” Cassie slapped his wrist and showed her left hand with a ring on it. “I am committed.”

The three of us watched as Cassie made every head turn in her direction and she led every talk there was. I could feel Leo slowly looked in my direction and patted me on the back.  

“It’s okay buddy. I am not mad or anything. Just feeling unlucky that you could not get her in the end.”

“Cheers to that,” Andrew agreed and patted me on the back simultaneously and drank the remaining contents of his drink.

They are so annoying, I said to myself and lightly pushed them, shutting my eyes briefly.

“I mean, who knows,” Leo jokingly suggested. “Maybe you will find someone below you and make her your level.”

“Logan would never do that,” Andrew interjected. “We would never do that even. Just even a touch from those people is already a plague to us.”

I did not respond, but I silently agreed with Andrew. I would never stoop to love someone below me. I only need a woman at my level. With this thought, I reached out a glass containing some alcohol in it and took a sip, finally deciding to walk out.

“I am going to work,” I said and walked out.

I checked my phone for schedules and meetings that I needed to attend after lunch. My secretary has been talking nonstop and kept mentioning the business reports. What only matters is if they were successful or not.

All this time, I wanted to quit the company already and go buy another, but a strange motivation came over him because of one person.

Ava.

I accidentally let out a chuckle, which my secretary heard, and stopped on his reports and looked at me.

“Sir?”

“Nothing. Continue as you were.”

The report continued, and the secretary had his voice drowned out by my inner thoughts. Now that Cassie already has a fiancé and seems to be in a much happier state than I am, maybe I could reignite my relationship with Ava, and pick up where we left off.

Maybe I still have a chance with her, to work my way just like before.

Thinking all this made me recall the conversation I had earlier with Leo and Andrew.

“We would never do that even. Just even a touch from those people is already a plague to us.”

That’s right, I thought to himself. Ava will only be a girlfriend to me. An object worthy of giving some attention, time, and gifts. But to be a wife? She is a far cry from whoever I have on my list as possible wives.

I finally arrived at the parking lot, and there was Ava, walking using this way to get to the office. I took a glance at her from head to toe, seeing her beautiful as always, but keeping a high and cold appearance, intimidating others and having an independent reputation I heard lately.

“Go ahead of me,” I said to my secretary and opened the door without looking back. I heard the car go away, but I did not mind as my focus was on her. I called her name, but it was evident that Ava walked faster and her heels were already echoing in every step.

She pretended that she did not hear anything, and so I made my pace faster, almost running until I caught a hold of her arm, forcing her to turn around to face me.

Our eyes locked for a solid three seconds. She seemed to be hiding it, but she already panted from walking briskly trying to avoid me. I smirked as I tried to close in on her face, only to be receiving a push of rejection from her.

“Hey, Ava! Why you -” I asked, but before I could finish his question, Ava was already starting to step away. “Why you not speak to me and pretend I don’t exist? You can’t hide from me forever.”

I got ignored. I was only watching as the distance between me and her was only getting far. To my frustration, I was about to close our distance and ask her once again, but that feeling turned into concern as the woman in front of me could not see the rushing vehicle to her left.

“Ava!”